The Maze
by Wacky MindTheDuck
Summary: We all know what happened in the third task in the Triwizard Tournament. What if we look at the maze itself, in the perspective of Fleur Delacour? This is her story, from the moment the task was about to begin until Cedric's death. Oneshot.


Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Harry Potter and the Goblet Of Fire, which, by the way, is one of my favorite movies.

THE MAZE

The sun was quickly setting, giving the crisp spring air a bit of stuffiness. Fleur Delacour stood still on the Hogwarts grounds, toeing the grass a bit, in a desperate attempt to stall. She couldn't believe she had come this far. Sure, she was dead last, but the mere fact she could represent the Beauxbatons Academy was good enough for her. She thought about her three fellow champions, and how little she thought of them at first. But it was not the same time as now. "Zey are ze three strongest opponents ever," Fleur whispered silently, smiling to herself. The three of them, Viktor Krum, Cedric Diggory, and Harry Potter, were champion material.

Fleur stared into the trees at either side of her, spanning out, forming somewhat an invisible wall, and pointing her to one direction. Fleur brushed some of her flowing blonde hair out of her eyes, and stared at the stands. She knew if she entered them, she would find herself in the Quidditch Field of Hogwarts, facing a maze. A maze. It was drawing her in, even if she knew it could be the last thing she was to see. A maze. This was what the Hogwarts headmaster, Dumbledore, described as the hardest task to all four of them. A maze. For the third time, she was going against the very three people she had grown to love.

"Hey, Fleur!" called a voice. Fleur, lost in her thoughts, surmised it was the voice of Cedric Diggory only when the boy was directly beside her.

"Oh, c'est vous, Cedric," Fleur blushed. She, undoubtedly, thought Cedric was the most good-looking of the three, no offense to Viktor and Harry.

"Sorry, Fleur, I don't understand French," Cedric said, smiling and scratching the back of his head.

"I am sure it is fine vith you, Cedric," smiled Fleur.

Cedric had always been the gentleman of the group, making Fleur feel at home in the clammy walls of Hogwarts. She stared into his gray eyes and flowing brown hair. She would miss him.

"Cedric?" Fleur said, her eyes staring blankly. Where is your independent, witty, confident and even sassy self now, Fleur? She cursed herself silently. You can't even talk straight to a friend. And from somewhere inside her, the unsolicited answer came clear. You're afraid, Fleur. You're afraid of the maze. You're afraid of losing your life, even the lives of Cedric, Harry and Viktor. You're afraid.

"Fleur?" Cedric asked, concerned. "Is there anything wrong?"

"No," Fleur said slowly. She brought herself, quite quickly, to ask her question. "Are you afraid, Cedric?"

"Afraid of what?"

"Ze maze. I mean, vat vill 'appen if we…" Fleur broke off, staring once more in the direction of the Quidditch field.

"Let's not think of that, Fleur," Cedric said, sounding carefree. "I mean, it is a point to ponder, but no one's ever made it far thinking negative, have they? The maze is dangerous. But as long as you concentrate on making it through, going through each obstacle, and making it to the cup, you'll be fine. We'll be fine, Fleur. We're champions. All of us."

Fleur smiled, thanking Cedric silently. For whom she thought as a simple pretty boy, Cedric did seem to be quite the motivator. Now, where were Harry and—

"Hey, Cedric, hi, Fleur," Harry said, jogging toward them.

"'Arry," Fleur acknowledged.

Harry Potter. Another one she'll never forget. The Boy Who Lived. She, of course, heard of him. Who didn't? After the fall of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, Harry had slowly grown to be quite a courageous boy. She still called him 'boy' behind his back because of affection. She owed her life to him. He had saved Gabrielle, even if she wasn't his to save. Sure, it was only a task, but the fact that she risked not saving Gabrielle because of a Grindylow took her out of the run.

She remembered standing at the dock, waiting for the time to run out, silently praying that the merpeople were doing nothing to Gabrielle, when one by one, Cedric and Viktor, with their respective hostages, surfaced. Cedric was saying something about Harry already being there at the statue when he got there. Fleur watched the murky water, refusing to be comforted by her schoolmates. And then, Gabrielle, with Harry's friend, Ron Weasley, surfaced. Fleur almost jumped back in the water.

Fleur stood silently on the lawn, watching the groups of students walk by and wish them luck. When the Beauxbatons students came, they wished her the best of luck. Her two best friends, Pierre and Francesca, stayed the longest, holding her hands and assuring her they'd be there when she came out with the cup. She smiled, pretending she was excited, but that wasn't the truth. Never mind. Where was that Bulgarian, by the way? She wheeled around to look at the doors of the school, when she realized he would be coming from the Durmstrang Ship. She turned around again, and then—

"Ow! Vould you vatch vair you are going?" Viktor Krum said in alarm. Her head had hit his chin.

"I'm terribly sorry," Fleur said, backing away instinctively, as if he would pounce on her and beat her up.

"Miss Delacour, Mister Krum, Mister Diggory, Mister Potter, yoohoo!" came the voice of Ludo Bagman. "Our four champions! We would be needing you in the tent!"

Fleur, back to her old self, led the way to the tent, her robes billowing in the breeze and her hair flowing behind her.

"She is, vun feisty gal," Viktor spoke, looking after her. "To face all of zis tasks and pluck up ze courage to face all of zem, zat's a lot to be expected from." He smiled faintly at Harry and Cedric, and then slouched after her.

"To think about what Viktor said," Harry told Cedric. "I've just realized how strong she's been, facing the Welsh Green, keeping her courage with the Grindylows and even proceeding with the third task. I mean, you put Lavender Brown or Parvati Patil in this, and they'd back out immediately."

"I can faintly remember who in the world Lavender or Parvati are," Cedric said, smiling. "But, heck, I don't think Hannah Abbot, Megan Horowitz, Susan Samson or any other girl would be able to do that, either. C'mon, Harry. Bagman said we have to go to the tent.

Fleur stared at the pile of clothes on the table in front of her. She took one look at her powder blue robes, and picked the sleeve of the sweatshirt, the same color, gingerly, with the tips of her fingers.

"Vat is zis?" Fleur said, a disgusted look on her face.

"Miss Delacour," Bagman said, ignoring the look on her face. "This is what you're going to wear in the maze. You don't expect to be running in your Beauxbatons uniform, don't you? Ah, Mister Krum, you're here!"

Fleur picked up the sweatshirt, with the matching sweatpants. Madame Maxime appeared behind her.

"'Ow is my champion," Madame Maxime cooed, placing her hands on Fleur's shoulders. "Fleur, you are going to slay zem, am I correct? Ze maze is going to be a piece of—"

"Zey expect me to wear this?" Fleur demanded.

"Dreadfully sorry, Fleur," Madame Maxime said, unabashed. "Dumbly-dorr and Britain's Ministry Of International Magical Cooperation wants to ensure your safety in ze maze, thus zey gave you the clothes for maximum comfort so you won't hurt yourself, and zey might prevent a war from France."

"Zey think a stupid maze will cause a war?" Fleur asked, indignantly but curiously.

"Oui, our government was weary with cooperating with ze tournament," Madame Maxime said. "Si'l vouse plait, Fleur. Just put them on."

Fleur, sensing her own defeat, took the clothes and walked to the changing room. She emerged a few minutes later, looking as beautiful as ever in her new uniform. She smiled. It wasn't so bad after all. She could see Harry, Cedric and Viktor were wearing their own outfits as well. Harry and Cedric, both from Hogwarts, were wearing shirts with their names at the back and black sweat pants. Harry had red with black, while Cedric had canary yellow with black. Viktor was wearing a crimson red long-sleeved shirt, with navy sweatpants. Bagman motioned for them and they all stepped forward.

"Are you all ready for the maze?" Bagman said, grinning. "Well, good luck to you all. Go through this flap. Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang are waiting for their champions."

Fleur followed the three boys out of the tent, and the deafening noise was finally audible to her. She smiled at the crowd in the stands, and she could see the Beauxbatons students cheering in their powder-blue uniforms. Dumbledore was in the middle, addressing the crowd.

"And now, our four champions are here!" Dumbledore said. "Mister Potter and Mister Diggory, tied for first place, will enter the maze first," Dumbledore paused, as cheering erupted. "Followed by Mister Krum," more cheering, "And then Miss Delacour."

Fleur beamed at the crowd and curtsied. But something drew her attention from the cheering crowd. She turned around and eyed the entrance to the maze. Mist hung low over the floor, and darkness shrouded the inside. Again, Fleur felt remotely sick. She imagined herself getting lost in the maze. She shook her head, and tried to listen to whatever Dumbledore and Bagman were saying, but she couldn't. Her stomach was feeling queasy, and she placed her hand on it, as if she could throw up any moment. A whistle sounded, and Harry and Cedric entered. Fleur clutched her wand, trying to ignore the sounds around her. She needed to concentrate, just like what Cedric said. Another whistle. The Bulgarian was in. It was her turn.

"Good luck, Fleur!" yelled a voice from the crowd.

Fleur wheeled around. The man with the ponytail and earrings was the one who shouted. Fleur had seen him in the room at the back of the Great Hall, talking with Harry. Beside him was his mother, also in the room that morning. Now, she was somehow scolding him. Fleur stared into his eyes. He was, handsome, after all.

The whistle sounded.

Fleur wheeled around ran into the entrance, desperate to get the task over and done with. The moist grass crunched under her feet, and she could hear her heavy breathing, She stopped running when she reached a fork. Her heart was racing, and her breaths were louder than ever, as if the noise could comfort her and remove her resounding loneliness and dread. She turned right and slowed down. She looked up to the twenty-foot high hedges, and the moonlit sky. For now, she was alone.

Five minutes later, Fleur was still walking through the maze, taking lefts and rights, and finding more and more dead ends. Suddenly, a vine lashed at her left foot. She dropped to the grassy ground, and saw that the vine was pulling her more and more toward a large whole, where more and more vines were emerging and wrapping around her legs. Fleur panicked. She took out her wand, not knowing what spell to throw at it. She had never seen this kind of plant before. She knew she had to think fast.

"Reducto!" Fleur screamed, her words disappearing into the stillness of the maze.

The red light hit the plant, and it withdrew its tendrils and disappeared. Fleur got up and fixed her hair. This was going to be harder than she thought. She turned around and walked the other way, brushing the leaves and dirt off her clothes. She suddenly felt a sting of pain on her left leg. She pulled the pant leg up, and saw deep gashes on her leg where the thorny tendrils had wrapped around her. She winced, but she tried to ignore the pain. She started limping. I can't go on like this, she thought. Disregarding the pain, she walked as straight as possible.

It had been fifteen minutes since she entered the maze, and Fleur knew she was nowhere near the cup. Beauxbatons was depending on her. Suddenly, she heard a scratch. She stopped, and raised her wand in defense. She heard nothing. Then, either because she wanted to get closer to the cup as soon as possible, or because she was simply afraid, she broke into a sprint, completely forgetting her injury, turning this way and that, avoiding a Blast-Ended Skrewt that just continued on, apparently having not spotted her. She stopped in the middle of an intersection, allowing the mist to circle around her shoes. She wiped her forehead as she gasped for air. And then, she heard the noise again. She turned around and saw a figure in the darkness.

It was the Hogwarts teacher, the one with the glass eye. She stared at him for a moment, about to ask him what in the world he was doing, when he raised his wand.

Fleur started screaming, but the spell caught her after a few seconds.

"Stupefy!"

Fleur stared at the bandages Madam Pomfrey had placed on her wounds. She was holding a cup of hot chocolate, but she was still shaking terribly. Should she tell everyone about her attack? Later, she pressed herself. When the teacher comes back.

She limped toward the Beauxbatons stands, where Pierre and Francesca were sitting. She silently sat down.

"Are you okay, Fleur?" Francesca asked, brushing her curls away from her face.

"I 'ave failed you all," Fleur said, looking away from her friends.

"No you 'aven't," Pierre said, patting her back. "Ve are always 'ere for you, Fleur. No stupid contest can stop that."

"Sister!" Gabrielle said, sitting beside her. "Our parents are calling you. Zey want to talk to you."

Fleur smiled at her friends and walked across the stands, through Hogwarts students who reassured her, to Durmstrang students who managed to smile at the least, and then to her parents. She immediately sat down and leaned toward her mother, who had the same long, blonde hair, and cried. Her parents just sat there, giving her soft words of encouragement, while Gabrielle promised she would lend her all her dolls when they got back home. Not much from a young girl, Fleur knew, but it was enough to reassure her. Pretty soon, Fleur was in the front of the stands, sitting with Madam Maxime, and waiting for the other three.

"Did I fail terribly, Madam Maxime?" Fleur asked, eyes a bit red from the crying.

"You did great, Fleur," Madam Maxime smiled. "You did ze best."

"But I didn't win," Fleur said slowly. "I didn't win for Beauxbatons."

"Winning isn't everything," Madam Maxime said. "I am sure you 'ave 'eard of zat."

Fleur remained silent. Suddenly, red sparks appeared in the starless sky. A few moments later, Viktor Krum was carried to Madam Pomfrey.

"Only 'Ogwarts left," Madam Maxime said. "Dumbly-dorr must be ecstatic."

Fleur turned to look for Dumbledore, expecting to see a big grin. But what she saw was the face of a worried man. Was the maze that dangerous?

Viktor Krum came a few minutes later, cursing in Bulgarian. He sat on the seat beside her, sulking.

"Anything wrong?" Fleur asked.

"Zere is a cheat in ze maze," Viktor grunted. "I do not vish to talk about it."

Fleur wanted to tell him about the teacher she saw, but she had a feeling no one would believe her. They'd just tell her she was hallucinating.

"Vot is zat?" Viktor asked, pointing to her leg.

"Something got me in ze maze," Fleur said thickly.

"Who do you sink is going to be ze vinner?" Viktor looked at the maze thoughtfully.

" 'Arry," Fleur said flatly. Krum cleared his throat, as if to say something, but remained silent. Fleur looked at the hedges, as if expecting Harry Potter to appear, victorious, with the Triwizard Cup. She couldn't help it, but she prayed that it would be him.

Half an hour later, a commotion was forming. Fleur guessed everyone was worried why Harry and Cedric hadn't returned. She stood up, left Krum, and walked over to her classmates, who had walked down to the lawn, and were waiting for Madam Maxime.

And then, a flash, and Harry Potter was face down on the ground, with Cedric and the cup. Realizing Cedric was unconscious, Fleur almost jumped for joy at Harry's triumph, but stopped herself. Something seemed to be wrong. She took a step forward, and realized Harry was crying. Dumbledore and few others were approaching Harry. Fleur stepped closer to the circle of Ministry Staff.

"He's dead," she heard Cornelius Fudge, the Minister Of Magic, whisper.

Fleur stepped back out of surprise. She saw Cedric's lifeless gray eyes, and gasped. She sank to the ground, and she felt the tears form in her eyes. Cedric Diggory, dead? But how on earth could he be dead? She felt her head spinning.

Cedric's father rushed to the scene, pushing away people, to lie beside his son. Fleur saw Professor Moody carry Harry away. And then, she realized it. It was Professor Moody who attacked her! Who could she report to? A crowd had formed around Cedric. There were mourning students, teachers, and spectators. Fleur couldn't free herself from the throng. She had to tell Dumbledore, but he was nowhere to be found. Fleur stumbled onto one of the bleachers, and sat down.

"Things veren't supposed to end zis way," Fleur said to no one in particular. She covered her face with her hands, wishing to disappear, wishing for everything to be the way it was before the task, when the four champions were complete, when there was not a care in the world, when she could live her life in joy.

Author's Note: There, I decided to end it in a cliffhanger, since this oneshot was supposed to describe her experience in the maze. Thank you.


End file.
